[Ancient Thread] Cannot get Scarlett 18i6 high-z input to stop clipping on guitar tracks

I mean it sounds great and all but it's just hitting the red every so often. Maybe I should ask the Focusrite guys. Strikes me as odd that with the trim turned completely off I'm getting such a hot signal. Maybe that's just the way high Z works. I've never recorded this way before. I've always gone through amps with line outs or mics or mixers or whatever in the past. Should I try the line in option instead of the hi-z?

Hi Beepster,
is there a Pad knob on your interface ? If so, you can manipulate the input gain 
of the Hi - z Input from plus 7 dbu to plus 16 dbu highest level.
The Hi- Z input of my Saffire 40 sounds better than the Palmer DI boxes, really like it.
Another cause , why the scarlett is not running well on some systems is,that 
the scarlett interface has to be the only USB device on one USB Port(No hard drives,etc on the same port).
Also the quality of the USB -and other cables have an influenece.
Peace  

I am most impressed that a product tech support guy has taken the time to respond in this thread. Kudos a thousound times...

Hi, guys. Sorry for the late reply. I had some meat world stuff to take care of today. I'll start of by saying I'm gonna try the regular line in setting and see what happens.

@synkrotron... Hey, dude. Yeah, as I said I never used to use the direct ins on my Layla 3G. It just wasn't doing it for me and back then I didn't have any decent amp sims (I had GR2 but it... uh... sucked). Mainly what I did, and it really was a bit of a pain, was plug into my old Line 6 dual amp head and use the two XLR outs on the back directly into the multi ins of the Layla. Actually I'd plug into my Metal Zone and then into the Line 6. With the Line 6 I could use two different models at the same time and output them separately so I'd get the best clean tones I could (usually the Hi Watt model) and set one to be more trebly and the other more bottomy. Then I could record it onto to tracks and blend them however I wanted. Obviously this laid the distortion directly onto the track but it sounded good enough so whatever. Getting a decent sounding clean tone or low distortion tone was next to impossible though. Now with the Scarlett the input quality is AWESOME so I don't have to go through all that hassle and I have GR5 which is sounding really good. However the redlining was obviously an issue. I'm hoping the line level setting will do what I want. Cheers.

@pragi... Yup. I had the Scarlett set to Inst. (hi-z) with the trim knob turned all the way down and it was still blasting. Not quite sure why I would still be getting a signal with the knob turned off but that's where the problem lies. It's a little odd. Cheers.

@Matt... Hey, man. How are ya? I was hoping you might see this. I actually did some bass tracks (Squier P-Bass with a standard single coil) using the Inst. setting and that was giving a VERY strong signal as well but it wasn't clipping as long as I didn't let the strings hit the pickup (I put some electrical tape on the pickups and around the strings just above the pickups for when I was finger picking... using an actual pick was fine). That actually sounds great as it is and doesn't even require much tweaking in the DAW or GR5. Basically the raw signal is almost good enough to leave as is. As far as the guitar goes it's a Pacifaca 112 that's been modded to be a "Superstrat". All the pickups are Seymour Duncans. The Bridge pup is a humbucker but I forget the actual model number and the other two are single coils (the middle one is a Hotrail and again I forget the model of the neck pup). It's supposedly a set of pickups available from SD specifically for hot modding Strats. Very nice stuff so yeah... I could see them pushing the limits. One thing that is a little bothersome though is when I plug into the Scarlett hi-z the only pickup that is usable is the humbucker and it does sound incredible but the single coils are really muddy. It's a shame because I really like the neck pick for cleanish blues tones. Not sure if there is anything that can be done or tweaked there but I can manage with just the humbucker. I will definitely try out the line setting and see what kind of results I get. I was hoping to figure out why I could not lower my input ANYWHERE. I always figured Sonar would have some way to turn down input levels. I guess I'm also curious as to why the trim knob doesn't completely turn off the Hi-Z when turned to zero. Either way if I can't get it working I'll be in touch but if line in is acceptable for this type of signal I'm cool with that. I always thought that was just actual line out instruments and mixers. Thanks again. I've been recommending your company all over the place since I bought this thing not only because of how good the stuff is and the price but the amazing support you provide. The Scarlett SMOKES my Layla which I paid twice as much for. Cheers!

@synkrotron... Yeah, Matt (and Focusrite in general) rock. Even before I bought the Scarlett Matt was popping into thread to provide info. Very cool. Also the one time I put in a support request they got back to me in a day and I wasn't even a registered customer yet.

@Olskool... Yup. Like I said I wasn't sure whether line in was appropriate but I'm still learning. Apparently it is.

Okay, thanks guys. I'll try to remember to update this after I do a test with the line level input. Cheers!

@synkrotron:  Thanks for the praise.  We try hard to provide a high level of technical support for our products and part of that includes staying active on online forums such as this.

@Beepster:  I find it interesting that the single coils sound muddy through the Hi-Z.  The hotrail in the middle will probably sound more like a humbucker unless you have it wired to only use one coil.  Also, I would like to know what model the neck pick up is if you get a chance to find out.  Also, I will try to do some tests of my own with some single coils.
In regards to your comment about the gain control not fully attenuating the input, this is typical design for most preamps.  Understand that a gain control and volume control are not necessarily the same thing.  With most gain controls on preamps, the minimum setting = minimum gain applied.   This is opposed to infinite attenuation like a volume control usually has.

@lawajawa... Hi again. Yeah, I'd kind of like to avoid having to buy something else and I am really liking the tone I'm getting with the Scarlett. I guess I just play a little too hard. It's just a touch too hot. If I could bring it down even the tiniest of amounts it would be right in the perfect range.

Hi Beepster,
is it possible that the distance between the PU and the strings 
on your guitar is to small? 
I´m using here an Seymour Duncan SH4 -PU (Dean Paula) with my saffire pro 40 Hi-Z input /pad knob enabled(that´s why I asked you if there is one on your interface). it sounds good.

Hi, Pragi... I COULD lower the pickups but I don't think it would be enough. Also I wouldn't want to effect the tone for when I'm plugged into an actual amp. The line in setting seems like it is going to do the trick although I won't be able to check it out any further now because I wrenched my back right after my last post so no more guitar playing until it settles down. It's a real pisser. Love the hat BTW. :-)

Hi Beepster, so get well soon!

Hi, Matt. Thanks for the advice and well wishes. I've been using the Line In setting and turning up the trim knob to a little over 2 thirds of the way to full and it's sounding good so far without any clipping. Another fellow here recommended I use my old mixer to control my inputs as well (which I thought wasn't appropriate for plugging in guitars and stuff but he knows what he's doing) so I might try that when I have more room. I've got a whole bunch of old gear and methods to experiment with but for now while I'm just learning X1 I'd rather just plug straight in and play until a get a better handle on things. Take care and thanks again for all the great support. Cheers.

Also something people forget is that Pickups are magnetic, putting them too close to the strings actually pulls the strings in and affects the strings tuning/intonation, reducing the strings vibration time and sustain quite a bit.

ivametal
Hey, guys.
In the end decided the problem?
I also have a soundcard  Scarlett 18i6 and she overload at minimum gain on   DiMarzio Evolution 7.
But EMG are not clipping
Included in all Inst
Sorry for my English,
best wishes!

Welcome to the forum. What is your language?
 
Are you using the "Line" or "Inst" setting on the 18i6?
 
I can use the "Inst" setting now with the exact same guitar with no problems. When I posted this I was new with Sonar and computer recording so I didn't know better.
 
Watch the lights on the front of the interface when you play. Do they turn red? Or do they stay Green?
 
That is the most important part.
 
Then try recording something in Sonar. If the track "clip" that is recorded does not go above 0db (which will make a white vertical line on the clip) then you are not actually clipping from the interface.
 
When recording really the ONLY thing you have to worry about is the interface (18i6 clipping). The red clip signal in Sonar on the tracks only indicates that the OUTPUT from the track is clipping. So you just turn down the track Gain or track Volume fader.
 
So watch the "clip" being recorded. If you do not see any vertical white lines or HEAR any clipping you should be okay.
 
If you DO see that then you have to change something. You should always try to use Inst setting for guitar but if it ALWAYS clips like that then try the Line setting (you have to change that in the Mixcontrol software). Then you have to turn up the Input level knob on the 18i6.
 
Otherwise you can get something else to plug your guitar into (like a Line 6 pod or something you can turn the volume down on before it hits the interface... and usually with that you want to use the "Line" setting).
 
So...
 
Red light on the Focusrite interface AND a white line or distortion on your track recording means your interface Clipped. You need to fix that.
 
Red lights in Sonar or Scarlettmix don't always mean your recording is clipped. Just the output and you can just turn down the Gain or Volume fader of the track to fix it.
 
Hopefully that makes sense. Ask any questions you need.
 
Cheers.

Hello, Beepster, i'm from Russia!)
Thx for answer.
I used inst and lights on front panel turn red, but gain knob turn all down.
Problem like yours.

Thx, beepster, may i choose another soundcard, my friend can give me tascam us-144